Car-coupling.



No. 645,230. Patented Mar. I3, |900.

w. mamma.

CAR CUUPLING.

(Application led Dec. 18, 1899.)

(N u M o d el.)

ma p nms PETERS co, Pnomuwa., WASHINGTON. D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VILLIAM MCBRIDE, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 645,230, dated March 13, 1900.

Application filed December 18, 1899. Serial No. 740,624. (No model.)

To all whom it may con/cern:

Be it known that I, VILLIAM MCBRIDE, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing in Jersey City, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Car- Couplers, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to that class of couplers in which oppositely-placed hooks are arranged to automatically interlock; and the object of the invention is to provide a construction whichv shall engage with certainty, hold reliably against accidental disengagement, and be easily uncoupled when required without risk to the operator.

It consists of a pair of hooked arms pivot ally mounted one above the other on the drawhead of each car and forced toward the center line by the action of springs. The hook portions face toward each other and are adapted to engage each with a corresponding member on the next car. Provisions are made for separating the pairs by a single movement either from the side or top of the car and for allowing a considerable range of motion in turning curves of short radius without liability of disengagement.

The invention also consists in certain details of construction and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described.

The accompanying drawings form a part of this specification and show what I consider the best form of carrying out the invention.

Figure l is au end elevation of a car-body equipped with my improved coupler, and Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the coupler engaged and a portion of the framework of two adjacent cars.

Similar letters of reference indicate the same parts in both the figures.

The mechanism on each car-is a counterpart of that on the other, and a single description will suffice.

Ais thebuffer bar or beam, equipped with spring buffers A and having an opening through which plays the draw-bar B, cushioned by the heavy rubber washers B', held in place by the nut B2. The projecting portion B3 of the draw-head is widened and hol- 10W, forming an upper and lower plate B4 B4,

through which passes the pin B5, carrying the swinging arms C, having the engaging hooks C. The arms lie one upon the other, with the hooks facing toward the center line and urged in this direction by the fiat springs C2 C2, attached to the sideplates of the draw-head.

In the act of couplingr the rounded or beveled outer facesV of the hooks are struck by similar faces on a corresponding pair on the approaching car, and some or all the arms C on both cars are forced outward against the force of the springs C2 until the hooks Cpass each other vand spring into engagement, as shown, the upper hook on one carlocking with the oppositely-situated upper hook on the other car and the lower hook matching to its mate in like manner. It will be seen that by the double locking thus produced any angular movements of the cars tending to una couple one pair tends to insure the engagea the bu {fer-bar and extends parallel therewith across to the other side of the car and is there pivoted at d to the crank-arm F on the upper end of a short vertical shaft F, supported in a bearingF3, secured to the buier-bar.

D4 is a socket attached to the bar D and receiving the lower end of the lever D2.

At the lower end of theshaft F is an arm F2, extending outwardly opposite to the arm F', and is pivotally connected at f to a link G, having the longitudinal slot g therein receiving the pivot h, by which a similar link H, pivoted at the opposite end to the lower arm C, is attached. I

J is a link similar to G, pivoted to the bar D at j near the housing E and having a slotv IOO D is communicated directly through the links J K to the upper hook and by the crank-arms F' F2 and through the links G and H to the lower hoolgspreading the arms against the resistance oered by the springs C2 and freeing the hooks on the adjacent car, as will be understood.

The housing E serves as a guide for the bar D and also a more important function. It incloses a sti helical spring L, abutting at one end against the interior of the housing and at the other against the xed collar D5 on the bar and small enough to enter the housing when the spring is sufficiently compressed. The spring offers no resistance to the movement of the bar in the direction to uncouple, but tends to hold the bar against movement inwardly, while allowing a limited extent of such movement when the line of draft Ais strongly shifted laterally, as in turning curves or from other causes, and allows the line of draft to be thus shifted Without offering an unyielding resistance to the motion, which through the links would tend to uncouple'. Thisspring L should be som ething stiffer than the springs G2 C2 on the draw-head, so that under usual conditions the inward movement ofl the bar D Will be resisted and the hooks thusheld normally sufficiently spread to be in position to engage.

The slots g 7" in the links G and J afford sufficient lost motion to allow the arms C C to swing to the required extent in coupling Without affecting the bar D and forcing it to partake of the movement.

Modifications may be made in the forms and proportions of the several parts in adapting the invention to the conditions of rail'- way and car construction under which it may be called upon to serve.

Those portions of the mechanism not specifically described may be understood to be of any ordinary or approved construction.

I claim- 1. A draw bar and head, a pair of horizontally-swinging hooks carried thereby one above the other and facing toward the center line of said draw-bar, springs tending to move each of said hooksin such direction, a bar extending transversely of said hooks, fixed guides for said bar and connectionsto the latter from said hooks, and a spring serving as an abutment for said bar, thereby yieldingly limiting the said inward movement of said hooks, all combined and arranged to serve with a corresponding mechanism in coupling cars, substantially as herein specified. 4

2. The draw-bar B and draw-head B3, pin B5 in the latter and two horizontally-swinging hooks-centered on said pin one above the other, springs C2 C2 urging each of said hooks toward the center line of said draw-bar, the transverse bar D, shaft F connected to said bar, the arm F2 on said shaft, and the links J, K and G, H ext-ending from said bar and arm to said hooks, all combined and arranged to serve with a corresponding mechanism in coupling cars, substantially as herein specilied.

3. The draw-bar B and draw-head B3, pin B5 in the latter and two horizontally-swinging hooks centered one above the other on said pin, springs C2 C2 urging each of said hooks toward the centerline of said drawbar, the transverse bar D connected to said hooks, the housing E and spring L therein' tending yieldingly to limit such inward movement of said hooks all combined and arranged to serve with a corresponding mechanism in coupling cars, substantially as herein speciiied.

4. The draw-bar B and draw-head B2, pin B5 in the latter and two horizontally-swinging hooks C C', C C centered one above the other on saidv pin, springs C2 C2 urging said hooks toward the center line of said drawhead, the transverse bar D arm F connected to said bar and carried by the shaft F, arm F2 on said shaft, links G and H from said arm F2 to one of said hooks, and links J, K from said bar to the other of said hooks, all combined Vand arranged to serve with a correspond-ing'mechanism in coupling cars, substantially as herein specified.

5. The draw-bar B and draw-head B3, pin B5 in thev latter and two horizontally-swinging hooks C C', C C centered one above the other on said pin, springs C2 C2 urging said hooks toward the center' line of said drawhead, the transverse bar D, the shaft F and IOO arm F' thereon connected to said bar, the Y arm F2 on said shaft, and links'G andH from said arm F2 to one of said hooks, and links J and K from said bar to the other of said hooks, the housing E, spring L therein, and collar D5 on said bar, all combined and arranged to serve with a corresponding mechanism in coupling cars, substantially as herein specified.

6. The draw-bar B and draw-head B3, pin B5 in the latter and two horizontally-swinging hooks C C', C C centered one above the other on said pin, springs C2 C2 urging said hooks toward the center line of said drawhead, the transverse bar D, the shaft F and arm F thereon connected to said bar, the arm F2 on said shaft, and links G and H from said arm F2 to one of said hooks, and linksJ and K from said bar to the other of said hooks, the housing E, springL therein, and collarD5 on said bar, and means as the slots g and j in the said links G and J and the pivots 7L and 7a on said links H and K received in said slots to aiford the play required in separating the hooks in the act of coupling, allcombined and arranged to serve substantially as and for the purposes herein specified.`

In testimony that I claim the invention above set forth I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM MOBRIDE.

Vitnesses:

JAMES D. HorLEY, WM. H. PRICE.

IIO 

